Consequences of a Cure
by VaultEscapeArtist
Summary: Marian Hawke is given a potion that will separate Anders from Justice. Should she use the potion? Is it safe? What are the consequences of such a cure and should it be used?


**Consequences of a Cure**

**Dragon Age II**

**F!Hawk/Anders**

**Written for lanawinst**

**Prompt: **You are a mage and managed to snatch a potion from the Black Emporium that you believe can free Anders from Justice with some adjustment. Will you do it? Behind his back? And what of the potential dire consequences of using such means?

**A/N: **Since this was supposed to be a drabble I tried to keep it short, but...it got out of hand. Also, it wasn't supposed to end the way it did. It escalated quickly. I am sorry. I tried. If you want to feel warm and fuzzy, please scroll on.

"And _what_ would I want this for?" Marian Hawke eyed the potion in her hands and pulled off the stopper, sniffing at the contents.

"It's what you _need_," the vendor assured her, smiling wickedly. Marian's eyes narrowed at him and his shady enterprise. The man shrank back and added rather quickly, "Kirkwall's underworld knows about your mage friend. The one with the Justice "problem". It makes many of us nervous."

Marian snapped at him, suddenly defensive, "I'm the one that should be making you nervous. What is this potion, then? Poison?"

"Your friend Anders may see it as such, but no." The man began gathering up his wares. "That will remove the crazy from the mage. Well, most of the crazy. The Justice part of the crazy. Slip a bit of that into his drink and you'll have Anders all to yourself. Finally."

Marian glared steadily at him, remembering how many times Anders had said that he and Justice could never be separated, that they were one. The vendor recoiled and nodded at the bottle. "Take it. It's on the house. Just promise that you'll use it."

"I _promise_ that I won't turn you into anything unnatural if you leave me now."

The vendor hurried away, dragging his wares behind him. Marian was left in the dark, studying the potion in her hand and noticing for the first time the Black Emporium seal. Marian quickly stuffed it into her pack, thankful she hadn't brought any of her other companions along.

The "cure" weighed on her thoughts all night. After further inspection she realized that the vendor had been partially right. The cure would "fix" Anders, after a few adjustments. Marian had no idea yet whether she would use the potion, but she spent all night tweaking it until she was satisfied. Marian hid the bottle away and returned to her bed where Anders was sleeping somewhat soundly. Sliding in next to him, Marian faced the wall and slept. Her dreams were no comfort. The demons of the fade always seemed able to sense her distress and flocked to her. A desire demon was the bravest and sauntered to her, smirking winningly. "You have a _cure_ for your lover? How good for you. With Justice gone perhaps you'll finally be the first in someone's affections. Maker knows you aren't Ander's first priority and you weren't the elf's either."

Marian tried shutting the demon out but tonight her concentration was off. "Fenris had his bitter past and Ander's has Justice. You always came in second-"

She tired of these games. Marian forced herself awake and out of the fade. Anders stirred, but stayed unconscious while Marian went to the cure's hiding place. Without stopping to consider the consequences she took a lyrium potion from Anders' pack, dumped out half the contents and replaced it with the rest of the cure. She stood with the potion uncertainly for a good hour until she heard Anders moving around upstairs. Making up her mind, Marian stashed the cure back with the rest of Anders' things and waited for him to come downstairs.

"You're up early," he commented, yawning. "You have a mission for us already? Not that I'm surprised." Anders stretched his arms as he walked down the main staircase. He kissed Marian's cheek, his scruff brushing against her face.

"I want to check on the Bone Pit. I told the worker's I'd check on them." Marian watched Anders' stuff his face with breakfast. Watching him she was comforted. This was Anders. This was how he should be. Justice was becoming unstable, a threat to all of them. To Kirkwall. Separating them was the right decision. "Meet me at the Hanged Man. I'm bringing along Varric today. I'll grab Fenris on the way."

"And I thought this was going to be a _good_ morning," Anders complained at the mention of Fenris.

"When _you_ can swing a greatsword, let me know. I'm not going into a potential battle without a warrior." Marian walked out, wincing as Sandal smeared pie across his face.

Fenris was willing enough to help, though Marian knew the Bone Pit made him uneasy. He had only needed a few minutes to prepare and they were off. His red arm band was there still, bloody in the daylight. It bothered Marian whenever she saw it, but she had learned to ignore it. "Fenris," she began.

"Hawke."

"I'm going to remove Justice from Anders."

"Through some means of magic, I presume?" Fenris didn't question her judgment. Marian knew he would see it as a necessary move as well. "You can rid him of his abomination?"

"I believe so." Marian let Fenris open the door of the Hanged Man for her and headed up to Varric's room. Anders arrived soon enough and they walked together to the Bone Pit. Once again, Marian envied the Orlesians and their horses.

"It's quiet, Hawke," Fenris observed, frowning. "Unless your workers decided to all go on break at once, we have a problem."

As if on cue, a dragon flew over head and screamed, flames shooting from its mouth. "_There's_ our problem," Marian pointed out. "And it seems a bit..._larger_ than normal."

Varric sighed. "Larger usually means more fun but in _this_ case-"

"Oh, no. In this case this _is_ more fun." Marian ran ahead of them, racing to strike the first blow.

The battle went downhill quickly. The dragon had bred and her babies were just as vicious as she was. Marian did what she could healing-wise, but she focused on offensive spells. So when Fenris called for healing, Anders downed a lyrium potion in order to performed the spell.

Newly revived, Fenris distracted the high dragon so Marian could get in close and finish it off with a spell. Marian jumped out of the way of the falling dragon and grinned triumphantly at Anders. He gave her a tired smile before he too fell to the ground.

"Anders?" Marian froze and Varric and Fenris turned to see what she was going on about.

Anders was on the ground, twitching. His eyes were glowing a faint blue when Marian reached him. She seemed afraid to touch him. "Anders, it's okay. I'm here." She had prepared herself for this, that the potion would hurt. "Take this." She tried to give Angers a pain relieving draught he had made for her headaches. Living in Kirkwall caused her migraines daily.

"_What_? What's going on?" Anders searched her face for an answer, reaching for the medication.

Fenris stood nearby and answered. "The abomination is being torn from you. Consider yourself lucky that this only causes a little bit of pain and not your life, mage."

"What was that, Broody?" Varric asked in shock. "I'm not used to being out of the loop."

Marian helped Anders take the draught. "It was me. I did this. For your own good," she told Anders stiffly. "You told me if I could separate you and Justice that you'd let me."

He spat out the drink. "And you didn't consult me _first_, Hawke?" Anders stared at her until the pain caused him to wince in pain. "Andraste's _knickers_, this hurts. Hawke...It really...I can't..." Anders' eyes widened as the blue from them faded, leaving just his own, warm brown eyes.

Marian held him and tried to calm him down. "It's okay. It's _working_." It was scary how surprised she was at that. Normally everything she did went horribly wrong.

"_Hawke_," Varric interrupted. "What have you done?"

She ignored him and focused on Anders. The pain wasn't going away. With a angry shout Justice took over one last time. "_How dare you, woman! I am here to help your kind! To end this injustice being done-"_ Anders spit up blood and just like that Justice was gone. But Anders continued to vomit blood, even though Justice had been successfully exorcized.

"No," Hawke breathed and then screamed, "_Anders_!"

Anders eyelids flickered and he watched her in fear. "The pain's not stopping, Hawke."

"I...know," she admitted at last. Marian took his hand and squeezed it. "I'll fix it. I'll fix it," she repeated. "Fenris, help me carry him. Quickly."

Fenris obeyed, but Anders shoved him off with the strength he had remaining. "No, I'm dying. I can feel it. Hawke, I have to-" Anders grabbed Hawke's collar and kissed her hard. She could taste his blood but that didn't matter right then. He saw her and his eyes weren't clouded, they were solely his own. No Justice, or Vengeance as he had become. Just Anders and Hawke.

Anders struggled to get out his last words. "The _mages_, Hawke. Protect the apostates for me. Please. Free them."

Marian nodded fervently to assure him, though she was still planning on how to save him. Her plans fell apart as he died.

He had no more last words for her. Just "free the mages". The words of the desire demon taunted her even then, as Varric and Fenris peeled her away from his body.

_You always came in second._

Days after the private funeral (the chantry did not perform funeral rights for apostates), Hawke scoured the underworld for the vendor that hold sold her the "cure". It did not take long for someone to rat him out to the respectable Serah Hawke.

"You sold me poison."

He never tried to deny it. "He was _dangerous_. For us. For mages. Everyone. It was only a matter of time before-"

Marian didn't let him finish. She struck him with the butt of her staff, silencing him. The other underworlders came and made off with his wares. She didn't stop them. Unconscious the man would not last long, especially not in Kirkwall's underworld. She left him there, letting fate take care of the rest. She would not be the hand of Death that night. She would not.


End file.
